Hey friend,

If you’ve ever wondered, “Do I really need HRT—or are there other ways to feel like myself again?” this episode is a must-listen. I sat down with nurse practitioner and integrative oncology provider Tiffany Balin, NP to talk about women’s hormones, the HRT “hype,” and a terrain-based, whole-person approach to cancer prevention and healing. Your symptoms aren’t random—they’re signals—and today we decode them together.

🎧 Listen to the full episode: 3 Things the Medical System Isn’t Telling You About Perimenopause & Cancer—And How to Get the Right Answers (with NP Tiffany Balin)   

Inside the episode, we cover:

• HRT with wisdom (not fear or hype): When it truly helps, when it backfires, and why a conservative, individualized approach matters—especially before adding estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone.
• Pellets vs. other forms: Why transdermal options are often preferred and why supraphysiologic dosing can create new problems (think: side effects, metabolism, and can’t-take-it-back timelines).
• The real root causes: How gut health, liver clearance, fiber intake, omega-3 status, sleep, and nervous-system regulation shape hormones more than most women are told.
• Estrogen metabolism & cancer risk: Why serum “low estrogen” doesn’t tell the whole story, the role of tissue storage, and how genetics + detox pathways influence risk and symptoms.
• Genetics without the overwhelm: What nutrition-genomics and DUTCH can (and can’t) tell you—and how Tiffany combines labs with a “10 terrains” assessment to target the right 3 priorities first.
• The emotional terrain: EMDR, breathwork, prayer, sunlight, and daily nervous-system practices as non-negotiables for healing—not nice-to-haves.
• Prevention that’s practical: Muscle as medicine (bone and heart protection), strength training, and metabolic markers that flag issues years before diagnoses.

Quick takeaways

• You’re not “missing” a hormone; you’re missing a map. Start with foundations (cortisol, insulin, gut, liver, sleep) before asking hormones to fix lifestyle problems.  
• If HRT is used, dose and route matter. Go slow, monitor metabolism, and personalize.
• Your nervous system is part of your hormone system. Safety signals (oxytocin moments, breathwork, walks in sunlight) change everything.

Meet our guest: Tiffany Balin, NP

Tiffany is a nurse practitioner with advanced training in anti-aging, regenerative, and functional medicine, and a terrain-based, metabolic approach to cancer. She founded Salus Integrative Medicine in Franklin, TN, where she helps women 35–55 optimize health, prevent disease, and heal by addressing body, mind, and soul. (She also collaborates with trauma-informed therapy and offers practical, data-driven tools like nutrition-genomics + DUTCH to guide care.)

Work with Tracy

If your hormones feel out of control and you’re tired of guessing, The Balanced Hormone Solution gives you a 90-day, root-cause plan—testing (optional but available), food, supplements, and lifestyle strategies that actually move the needle on energy, mood, sleep, libido, and weight. Join today and get a personalized roadmap—so you can stop surviving and start thriving.  

Follow along on Instagram: @perimenopause.nurse (come say hi!)

You don’t have to do this alone. Your body isn’t broken—you just need the right tools.  

— Tracy Erin